Welcome to Visitor Malaysia: "Sarawak's history dates about 40,000 years ago. Remains of a pre-historic civilisation including stone-age tools, artifacts and skull fragments of a 'Niah Man', aged between 35,000 and 40,000 years old, have been discovered at the Niah Caves, located at the northernmost corner of the state. Around 7th or 8th century AD, when traders form China, Japan, India and Arabia plied the maritime route, the early Sarawakians traded using beads, pepper, and swiftlets' nests-found in the roofs of the Niah Caves-as trading currency."